This was made for a dear friend, PK’s birthday. She likes matcha, so I thought a tart will be a good choice since I have been making cakes for her. The texture of the cream did not turn out the way I expected it, however, it was a nice tart, albeit a little rich. Should I try the tart again, I will whip the creme fraiche and whipping cream to a softer peak because the whipped cream set really quickly because it was cold and hence the cream was the texture of a thick mousse, instead of a pouring one. For the crust, I used the same recipe for the cream tarts.

Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients

For the crust

  • 450g plain flour
  • 300g butter
  • 150g caster sugar
  • Optional: 1 lemon zest / vanilla

For the matcha cream

  • 240g creme fraiche
  • 60g cream cheese
  • 5 tbsp caster sugar
  • 2 tbsp matcha powder
  • 1.5 cups whipping cream
  • 1 tsp powdered gelatin

To assemble

  • melted chocolate (optional)
  • assorted berries of choice

Method

For the crust

  1. Cream sugar and butter in mixer till pale and fluffy.
  2. Add zest and mix to combine.
  3. Add flour in 3 additions, ensuring mixing stops once the flour is mixed in to prevent over mixing.
  4. Turn the dough out into cling foils and flatten to a disc.
  5. Chill in fridge for at least an hour before using. This can also be made ahead and frozen for use later.
  6. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C.
  7. Take the dough out from the fridge and leave to soften for about 20 minutes. If the dough is frozen, leave the dough to thaw in non freezer part of fridge overnight before leaving to soften at room temperature for 20 minutes the next day when you are ready to bake.
  8. Roll the dough out between 2 pieces of baking paper until the desired thickness.
  9. Line prepared tart case with the rolled out dough and bake in preheated oven of 180 degrees C for about 30 minutes till lightly brown.
  10. Leave to cool completely before unmoulding and assembly.

For the matcha cream

  1. Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup of cold whipping cream to bloom the gelatin.
  2. Heat 1/2 cup whipping cream, cream cheese, sugar and matcha powder in a small pot over medium heat till a simmer, whisking continuously to ensure mixture is smooth. Do not overheat as matcha can turn bitter from overheating.
  3. Add the gelatin mixture to the pot of matcha mixture, whisking to ensure all the gelatin has melted.
  4. Allow the mixture to cool.
  5. In a clean mixing bowl, whip creme fraiche and the remaining 1/2 cup of whipping cream to soft peak.
  6. Fold the whipped creme fraiche and whipping cream mixture into the matcha cream.
  7. Pour the matcha filling into the tart crust and leave to set in fridge for at least 2 hours.

For assembly

  1. Cut the berries to desired shapes and sizes.
  2. Melt chocolate and pour into piping bag. I needed very little because I just wanted to drizzle over part of the tart.
  3. Decorate as desired.

I did some simple decoration with a few berries placed over melted chocolate drizzled carelessly over the tart. I think it turned out pretty elegant. You can change the fruits you use for decoration or even add a fruity puree at the bottom of the tart before filling the tart with the matcha cream filling. Let your creative juice flow. I think my friend quite like her birthday tart and that is all that matters.